Safari, (n) : An expedition to observe animals in their natural habitat. This site is a 'safari' of international news, development theory, and the natural world. Written by R. Turner Shaw.

Nuclear North Korea

North Korea has affirmed its nuclear testing and has officially threatened the United States, “saying that it would build up its capability of striking the United States after the United Nations’s expansion of sanctions against North Korea.”

The emphasis here is that it would be Kim Jong-Un’s first advanced military decision, and that if the D.P.R.K. was indeed to test its nuclear capabilities it would a symbol that Mr. Kim is following in his father’s footsteps. Although sometimes considered a blip on the radar in terms of foreign activity the United States government is tuned to, nuclear activity has made North Korea a nation to keep an eye on. This goes for the powerful East Asian states as well, and although China maintains a psuedo-alliance with the D.P.R.K., the Chinese government has shown its own concern of North Korean military capabilities.

Proliferation since the Cold War has remained one of the more heated international issues. Mr. Kim has stated that he will not backtrack on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities until, “the denuclearization of the world is realized.” Since there is little to no chance of this happening under a lack of a single world government, it is safe to assume that the D.P.R.K.’s weapons are here to stay barring foreign intervention. It’s safe to say that this is an option that powers are considering if the D.P.R.K. continues in the direction it is headed, which is to built up its military and threaten other world nations.

On a similar note, if anyone out there ever finds a decent picture of a Chollima, I would love one for the next blog post.